Humans visited the Titanic wreckage for the first time in 14 years

Thursday

Aug 22, 2019 at 12:35 PM

For the first time in nearly 15 years, divers visited the wreckage site of one of the world's most famous ships, finding it slowly becoming more ingrained in its habitat.

An exploration team with Triton Submarines took a total of five dives to the wreckage of the RMS Titanic earlier this month. There, they found the ship is sinking lower into the ocean floor and metal-eating bacteria and salt corrosion are greatly impacting the wreck.

The last human-occupied submersible dive to the RMS Titanic wreckage was in 2005.

"The most fascinating aspect was seeing how the Titanic is being consumed by the ocean and returning to its elemental form while providing refuge for a remarkably diverse number of animals," Triton Submarines President and Co-Founder Patrick Lahey said.

The RMS Titanic sank April 14, 1912, causing the deaths of more than 1,500 passengers. The wreckage of the ship thought to be "unsinkable" now lies 370 miles south of Newfoundland, 4,000 meters underwater.

While there, the divers examined the wreckage and gathered video that will be used in an upcoming documentary from Atlantic Productions. The team also laid a wreath and held a ceremony for the victims of the wreck, 107 years later.

The team hopes to use the footage and other assets gathered from the wreck site to assess its future and eventually make the RMS Titanic explorable through augmented and virtual reality.

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